Welcome back to The Monthly Immersion Into Music, The MIIM! This month I will be sharing my adventure seeing The Disco Biscuits for the first time at the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland as well as my opinion on The National’s new album First Two Pages of Frankenstein.

The Disco Biscuits, where to begin. My fiancee Shaun has long been a fan of the electronic jam band that reigns from Philly, but I had only heard their songs here and there when he had them on. What is their sound you may ask. Well it’s the closest thing you can get to feeling like you took a disco biscuit at a dance club while remaining sober. They are a high energy jam band that combines classic rock/folk improvisation, think Phish or The Grateful Dead, with more electronic dance style synth and bass and a harder driving drum rhythm. To put it more simply, they will blow your socks off and have you dancing all night.

They put on a special event called TranceAtlantic being held at the beautiful Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland. It was a three night show featuring different openers each night. Shaun and I had been talking of traveling overseas and when he discovered this event it just made sense (I will talk more about the trip overall in subsequent blogs that can be found in the travel section).

There were three opening bands, one each night, and they were awesome! The first night was Cloudchord, a musician and producer from Austin, Texas that blew my mind with how many sounds he put together as a solo musician on stage. We also found out he produced The Disco Biscuits latest album and recently put out an album of his own called Bloom Bap. I highly recommend it, especially the track “Keep Movin’.” You will be bouncing around and happy in an instant! The second night we listened to a jam band out of New Jersey called Dogs In A Pile. They are young guys full of energy and had some quality jams that had our heads nodding, lips curling and toes tapping. They have a new album that is set to be released later this year, and I can’t wait to check it out. The third and final night was the always fun and energetic Karina Rykman. I always love me a female bassist and rocker, and she delivers! She did a great cover of Bjork’s classic “Army Of Me” which is more than necessary when in Iceland. She bounced around the stage and was getting everyone hyped. If you have the chance to see her, do it without hesitation.

The Disco Biscuits were amazing all three nights. They played a few songs I knew which were fun, and it was great looking over at Shaun and seeing a big ole smile on his face while he sang to one of his favorite bands half way around the world. The highlight for me as a fan of everything 80s was their encore on night two in which they played “You Spin Me Round” by Dead or Alive. You better believe I was spinning right round baby right round. The last night, I wasn’t feeling well so I left before the second set. This gave Shaun the opportunity to roam around the different seating areas to see the band from a different perspective. He went to the first balcony side box and said it was a great view, and then went to the floor seats and said it sounded spectacular and there was great energy. We definitely plan to go to Iceland again, and this is good intel in case we see another show at Harpa. Overall it was a fantastic music experience to kick off our trip. I have never travelled that far to see a band, but it is an adventure any music and travel lover will enjoy!

When I got back home to the US, I realized I was late to the party for the drop of The National’s new album First Two Pages of Frankenstein. I dropped everything, logged into my Spotify account, and pressed play with my notebook in front of me. This is the first time I have written about my experience listening to a new album, so I will just give you the stream of consciousness from my notebook as I was listening. If you want to listen along as you read my notes, you can find the album in full here.

• Once Upon A Poolside featuring Sufjan Stevens – The piano is haunting! I feel like I can relate to the lyrics when it comes to relationships or troubles of my own. Trying to identify what the first sign of trouble was and why didn’t I/we do anything about it.
• Eucalyptus – This sounds like a continuation of the first song but with a rougher tone. It’s almost as if Matt is taking more of a stand. Before the instrumentals though his voice sounds lighter than I have heard it in quite some time. I wonder why it is called Eucalyptus. Is it because eucalyptus opens us up?
• New Order T-Shirt – We always remember and fall in love with the quirks and weirdness in people. Because those are the things we can’t get from anyone else. Never apologize for those things. They are what make you truly you. I’ve felt at times that my quirkiness is a nuisance or annoyance even though it is harmless and who I am. Then I found someone who lets me fly my freak flag high! But the world has a way of making the quirks fade at times and we have to remind each other we are all little weirdos.
• This Isn’t Helping featuring Phoebe Bridgers – I was craving more powerful instrumental swells, but they didn’t fully hit. I would have preferred instrumentals rather than the addition of vocals from Bridgers (not that I don’t like her).
• Tropic Morning News – I love the upbeat tempo of this one. The running theme seems to be the past is getting lost and we are forgetting how to love each other. A battle between being ourselves unapologetically and addressing others wants and needs (a theme is starting to be visible perhaps). He mentions being alongside water for the second time as well, with the first being along the poolside. Does this have a meaning, or just coincidence?
• Alien – They do such a good job matching the lyrics and the music on this track, which is one of the reasons I absolutely love this band. It’s light, mysterious, and the the sustained notes mixed with staccato take you on a ride. Wondrous aliens!
• The Alcott featuring Taylor Swift – The answering lyrics from Swift are fantastic! I am not a huge Swift fan, but I love when she gets away from pop music because I think her true talent shines. People thinks she is the master of break-up songs, but Matt runs circles around her. His songwriting just hits the heart and soul.
• Grease In Your Hair – We get intense Matt! My favorite Matt! Although even when he is singing softly it can be intense. I love when he yells though, and he almost get there. It gives me goosebumps every time.
• Ice Machines – I love the harp like guitar and actually wish the drum beats weren’t as loud. The melodic undertones are too beautiful to be drowned out! It makes this sound too similar to some of the other tracks.
• Your Mind Is Not Your Friend featuring Phoebe Bridgers – The title resonates way too much to certain times in my life. I talk about an article Matt did below that I feel like this song was written for.
• Send For Me – This follows the same critique as a few of the other songs on the album. The lyrics are gut-punching, but I am craving more in the musicality. With Tropic Morning News being the first single, I may have been thinking we were going to get something closer to their album High Violet which slaps me in the face every time I listen to it, but in the best way.

Overall I would give the album a 3/5. I think it falls a bit flat compared to the composition of some of their other albums. The lyrics are poetic as per usual, and the music is great, but I was longing for some more instrumental play. After listening I started looking for articles that explained their mindset when writing this album and I found an interesting one from their lead singer Matt Berninger talking about his battle with depression and writer’s block. It made me write a sentence that has resonated with me more than almost any other note I have written.

The emotions hit you when you are sober and/or taking medication to help your brain equilibrate, but the song is what helps you process, whether writing it or listening to it.

Music has always been therapy for me. There are some days I need music more than others, whether I am sad or happy, and just need a partner to share that emotion with. There are other days I need silence, but I can count on music to be there when I am ready to explore my emotions.

Let me know some of your favorite albums or live performances you have seen recently. Or let me know what you think of The National’s new album. Happy listening everyone!

• The MIIM: Monthly Immersion Into Music